


Unbound

by jenatwork



Series: Bound [2]
Category: Free!
Genre: Bondage, M/M, Rope Bondage, Shibari, dom!Nagisa, sub!Rei
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-11
Updated: 2016-01-11
Packaged: 2018-05-13 06:20:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5698186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenatwork/pseuds/jenatwork
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rei feels free when he is bound.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unbound

Sometimes it's like he's flying. When his eyes are closed and his arms are tied and there is nothing to tether him to the earth but the soft drone of Nagisa's voice as he works. After ten minutes or so he stops feeling the floor under his bare legs; after twenty, he forgets the feel of the ropes against his skin. All that remains are Nagisa's words and the occasional brush of Nagisa's hands on his skin.

_In the morning, Rei has eggs for breakfast – protein is an excellent start to the day. He takes an early train across the city, aiming to beat the morning rush, and enjoys the peace and quiet that comes from being one of the first into the lab. He works until midday, when he stops for lunch and a breath of fresh air, then returns to the lab until five-thirty pm. There are three technicians working under him, and several other research teams in the same building with whom he must liaise, so every single moment of his day must be meticulously planned so that everyone knows what they have to do to meet their deadlines and budgets. On the train journey home, he puts in headphones to listen to an audio-book, to drown out the noise of the crowds as much as anything else, and arrives home by six-thirty. He and Nagisa take turns to cook dinner. When it isn't his turn to cook, he cleans or does laundry. Rei's life is organised and based on routine, and he likes it that way. It's just...every now and then..._

His mind is empty, his earlier headache forgotten. He focuses on his heartbeat, sure and steady, and on the cool air of each inhale, and the warmth of each exhale, ignoring the memories of the afternoon -

_of Nakano-san accidentally erasing an important file from his computer, and of the delivery that didn't arrive on time, and of the woman on the train who kept elbowing him in the ribs every time she rearranged the bags in her lap -_

Rei does not have to do a thing. He is not Ryuugazaki-san, in his lab-coat, making everyone's decisions for them. He has no responsibilities, no cares, no ties. He is Rei-chan, and he is Nagisa's, for Nagisa to do with as he pleases. If Nagisa wants to tie him to the bed and take three whole hours to bring him to orgasm, then Nagisa may. If Nagisa would rather sit Rei at the kitchen table with his arms tied behind his back and feed him cake because he confessed to skipping lunch to work on a new project, then Nagisa may. If he is anxious about an application for another research grant being denied and the lab having to downsize, then Nagisa may choose to blindfold him, lay him down on cool clean bedsheets, and spend an hour telling Rei how wonderful Nagisa thinks he is. He trusts Nagisa to take care of him.

_Sometimes Nagisa sleeps through his alarm and has to rush to make it to work on time, leaving the apartment in a shambles. And sometimes Nagisa uses every single pan and bowl in the kitchen to make dinner, and there is a pile of dishes in the sink that threatens to topple over. And sometimes Nagisa is so excited at the sight of some new store when they go out shopping that he darts out without even thinking to check for traffic. Rei knows that he worries and he nags and sometimes Nagisa thinks he's a bore, but afterwards, when they've both cleaned up or when Rei has pulled Nagisa out of harm's way, Nagisa thanks Rei for taking such good care of him._

Rei works hard at his job; he enjoys it, and couldn't imagine doing anything else, but being responsible for so many things takes its toll. Sometimes, every now and then, he needs to switch off and let someone else make decisions for him. So it is Nagisa who undresses him, who tells him where and when to move, who decides if he should be should eat, and who decides when Rei gets to come. Only once has Nagisa ever gotten off himself while Rei was incapacitated; he cried afterwards, for his selfishness he said, and Rei cried a little too, that Nagisa should ever feel bad for wanting to take what he wanted. He knows Nagisa still enjoys what they do – he wouldn't indulge at all if he thought Nagisa suffered through it just for his sake – but sometimes when he comes back down afterwards, he sees the flush on Nagisa's cheeks and the glint in his eye, and sometimes when it's all over, Rei takes Nagisa to bed and takes him, reminds Nagisa of his strength and of what it means when he submits himself entirely.

_Sometimes he'll remember Haruka, floating in the pool at their old high school, and wonder if this is how he felt – no sounds but the soothing white noise of the water, and nothing to keep him still, just letting the water drift him where it wanted._

Rei's arms and legs are restrained, he is entirely immobilised, but he can feel every single muscle in his body. He thinks of the photograph hanging above their bed, which shows his naked back under a lattice of silk ropes tied by Nagisa. The photographer had lit him so that the outline of each muscle group was clear, and Rei sometimes thinks he feels strongest when he is bound. He knows about the euphoria a session can bring, has experienced being 'rope drunk', but still enjoys the way it feels to imagine wings sprouting from his shoulder-blades, gossamer wings as delicate and beautiful as the silk rope binding him but still strong enough to lift him from the floor.

It is Nagisa's decision to untie him, when he feels that Rei has had enough. He takes his time loosening the knots, allowing Rei to come back to earth slowly. Nagisa's hands rub over his limbs and his back, working the last of the tension from his muscles, before finally removing the blindfold. The lights have been dimmed, as always, but it still takes some adjustment after so long in the dark.

As always, they finish in the bathroom. Rei is moved to sit on the small wooden stool while Nagisa fills the tub, adding the bath salts that he knows Rei likes. When Rei is lucid enough, Nagisa will climb into the tub with him, caging himself in Rei's arms and legs, and the two of them will talk while they soak. Tonight, Rei is still not quite back, so Nagisa helps him into the bath and talks to him, washing Rei's arms and back for him, lathering his hair with shampoo and rinsing it carefully.

They are all the way back to the bedroom before Rei is able to speak again. Nagisa is helping him into his pyjamas when Rei catches Nagisa's hands in his.

“Thank you,” Rei tells him, voice scratchy and low from disuse, “for taking care of me.”

Nagisa goes up on tip-toe to kiss him.

“Thank you for letting me.”

Before they fall asleep, Nagisa removes the silver chain from around Rei's neck, using the key he keeps on his nightstand to unlock the miniature padlock. The chain sits on a china saucer on Rei's side of the bed, and it will stay there until he chooses to put it back on in the morning.


End file.
